Who has the oldest, still working 12 volt fridge/freezer?

[Vinman]

Like the title says, who has the oldest 12 volt fridge that still works?
Make? model? year purchased? Approximate percentage of time it ran since new? did it require any repairs?

I have an Engel MT35 I purchased new in 2003 or 04 and it’s been running at least 80-85% of the time since new. In fact, it’s been over 5 years since it’s been shut off for more than a few minutes. I’ve also done absolutely zero maintenance since new.

Just curious how many other “older“ fridges are out there and still running.

 

[BritKLR]

I'm at about 19 years with my Engel MT45. Still used every season and never needed to do anything to it. I bought back when there was only really two sources in the US, the trucking industry supply companies and the medical supply companies, no overlanding supplies companies yet. I remember reading an article about how Engel fridges were used to transport parishable medicines in desert/extreme environments and figured it could handle what I would use of for and it has!

 

[pluton]

My Engel MT45 is a mere 7 years old now.
Who keeps their Engel running at home (or in the vehicle) between trips, and who shuts it off for weeks or months until the next time it's needed? I contacted Engel Australia about this question and they recommended not leaving it totally off for months straight.

 

[bushmoz]

I have a 40l Engel fridge that I bought in Swakopmund, Namibia in the early 1990's. I have done many trips with it to Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. When it's not on a trip it's running in my beach house keeping beer and wine chilled. The secret I think is that it runs 24/7.

 

[01tundra]

We bought our MT35 sometime in 2008, but it's been plugged into a 120VAC receptacle set to 30F since 2011 out in the shop.

 

[Christian P.]

I have had one for at least 15 years running on and off.

 

[BigSwede]

My home microwave is 30 years old, going strong... my Engel 40 is only maybe 10 years old.

 

[67cj5]

One of my ARB's is only 4 and a half years old, but I know of someone who has had his Engel since the early 1980's,

That said my ARB has been running 24/7 since I bought it on AC and DC power and never misses a beat.

 

[Robert Bills]

I have an Engel MT45 won at a raffle in December 2003 and in service since then.

 

[Vinman]

There are some impressive fridges here. When I purchased mine I did a bunch of research and the general consensus was the they were known to last upwards of 30 years.

 

[Regcabguy]

That's amazing longevity!How's the noise inside popups with these? is there an audible hum?
Thank you.

 

[Vinman]

My Engel has a slight hum when running, not annoying by any stretch if the imagination.

 

[FJR Colorado]

That's amazing longevity!How's the noise inside popups with these? is there an audible hum?
Thank you.

I have one in a small off-grid cabin. Not bad in terms of noise at all. Definitely not a sleep disturbance.

Engels are incredibly efficient. Very durable. Beautiful in their simplicity.

 

[GMS]

I have a Norcold my dad bought in the early 90’s. It’s been through literally thousands of miles in a chase truck (Baja, NV etc), one violent roll over in a Hummer (only got a dent in the lid) and it lived in the back seat of my pick up on farm roads for years. I currently use it as my beer fridge in the garage. Still going strong.

 

[vomhorizon]

Engels are incredibly efficient. Very durable. Beautiful in their simplicity.

If only they had all of their models in stock long enough I received a notification email stating that the 45 combi had come back in stock. Waited for lunch to order it and GONE (out of stock). They also haven't yet launched their MTV's in the US so it's probably best that I wait for that to happen (not that much has changed from the classic design) though it does say something about how much they value the US market.